Hemodialysis machines are commonly used to treat medical conditions related to renal failure, where a person's kidneys inadequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood. During a hemodialysis procedure, blood is removed from the patient and output to a dialyzer. The patient's blood circulates along one side of a semipermeable membrane in the dialyzer, and a dialysate flows along the opposite side of the membrane to remove waste, toxins, and other undesirable products from the blood. In a regenerative dialysis system, the used dialysate is pumped through a sorbent cartridge, which purifies the dialysate by removing the waste so that a constant stream of fresh dialysate is provided to the dialyzer. In a non-regenerative dialysis system, the used dialysate is discarded.
It is important that hemodialysis machines and other regenerative dialysis systems provide a comprehensive monitoring system that detects abnormal events that may pose a threat to patient safety during a dialysis procedure and that generates clear and unambiguous notifications when such events occur.